The Sinner Renewed For Season 2 On USA

the sinner usa
(Image credit: Image courtesy of USA)

USA was home of the one of the most talked-about summer series of 2017 with The Sinner. Starring Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman as a woman who committed a violent murder and the detective assigned to investigate the case, the show was originally designed as a limited series. Now USA has some very good news for fans who were bummed at the idea of it ending after just the one season. The Sinner has officially been renewed for a second limited season.

The Sinner Season 2 will see Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) lured back to his rural New York hometown after a disturbing crime that appeared to be the case of an 11-year-old boy murdering his parents. Like with the case of Cora (Jessica Biel) in Season 1, there's no discernible motive for the murders at first glance. Nevertheless, Ambrose will discover some secrets that were never meant to see the light of day once he begins digging. His hometown hides a darkness that he never expected, and the young boy is far from as ordinary as he originally seemed. Ambrose will find himself in danger when he's at odds with folks who will do anything to prevent their secrets from getting out, and he'll come across an enigmatic woman who could be key to unraveling the mystery. It sounds like a rough ride for Ambrose, but pretty great for viewers!

Season 2 of The Sinner will obviously go in some different directions from Season 1, which is really to be expected after how Season 1 ended. It's difficult to imagine how the show could have stretched the Cora case out into another batch of episodes, and the description for Season 2 sounds promising. Assuming the flashback format of the first season is intact for the second season, we could see more of the first season characters who may not have reason to turn up in the second. In fact, I wouldn't be altogether shocked if Cora herself appeared in some way or other. Jessica Biel will remain on board the series as an executive producer, so she'll be around. Season 2 will premiere in Summer 2018.

Like Season 1, The Sinner Season 2 will run for eight episodes. It is described as "a second limited season," which indicates that the mystery will be wrapped up by the end of the Season 2 finale. Given the show's renewal, the "limited" nature of Season 2 doesn't necessarily mean that a Season 3 is out of the question, although it's much too early to consider whether or not it could have enough steam to run for a third batch of episodes.

It's easy to see why USA would want to bring The Sinner back for another go. It was the most-watched new cable series of 2017, and it scored two Golden Globe nominations. Despite the fact that The Sinner didn't win for Best Television Limited Series and Jessica Biel didn't win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, the nominations were a big deal. Besides, the show lost to Big Little Lies in both categories, and Big Little Lies destroyed at the Golden Globes.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news. If you're in the market for shows to watch while we wait for The Sinner to return, be sure to swing by our midseason TV premiere guide, our 2018 Netflix breakdown, and our 2018 Amazon Prime schedule.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).